


On Meddling, Mistresses, and Matrimony

by Kimiko93



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Domesticity, F/M, Fluff, Like half of this is pretending we're in a Jane Austen novel, Political stuff, Rich People Things, The most tooth rotting fluff I am ever going to write, also humor, engagement fic, pearl clutching, sort of, the other half is just Vex being completely above it all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 20:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11494524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimiko93/pseuds/Kimiko93
Summary: Technically only spoilers up to episode 95.After some prodding from unlikely sources, pondering his own mortality, and the nature of how history remembers people, Percy finally decides to ask the question of questions:“Would you be hypothetically amenable to the general concept of marriage?”(Or: In which Syldor and Vax are helpful in the most disturbing ways, Percy is doubtful, and Vex actually isn't too cool for this shit, except, of course, that she is)





	On Meddling, Mistresses, and Matrimony

**Author's Note:**

> Getting this out there before canon takes it away from me. This has been in my head since... Around episode 72, I would say. Canon compliant up to until and including episode 102.

It was the last day of the first official visit of the Syngorn ambassador to Whitestone, breaking in the new teleportation circle. Technically, all of this was great; official connections to Syngorn and Emon would do a lot to put Whitestone on the map where it had previously been a bit… Provincial. Or undead. Or both.

Unfortunately, someone in Syngorn had a sorry sense of humor or an old grudge and had assigned none other than Syldor Vessar to the job. Just because his daughter was the one representing Whitestone in Syngorn on occasion. Technically a politically sound move, and how things were done… Under normal circumstances.

The twins had since agreed that nothing about this was normal and their father had to have pissed off someone higher up in the pecking order for him to get punished this way.

Fortunately though, Syldor brought the rest of his family with him, and the twins were, as always, delighted to spend time with their half-sister.

Said half-sister was the reason Percy found himself in his current predicament. Today it was Vex’s turn to spend an afternoon alone with Velora, meaning Percy was left to his own devices during the last official meeting with Syldor. Technically, it should have been just a formality. The trade deals had been finalized rather quickly, mostly because Vex really enjoyed negotiating her father into oblivion and got that done in record-time. The next meeting had already been scheduled. The guideline for the policy going forward had also been worked out. This entire meeting should have been a matter of minutes.

And at first, it appeared to be that way; Syldor went over all the things they had agreed on previously, they compared notes, nothing out of the ordinary. Percy was already looking forward to getting out of this meeting early so he could check on the preparations for the farewell feast once more. Vex of course had everything under control, but he knew she counted on him to oversee things when she couldn’t; this feast was the first official function performed at her new mansion, and while Tary was great at house-sitting and commandeering staff, his tastes were… _Special_ , and his grasp of the reality behind Vex’s family situation was not the best.

Well, Vax and Keyleth were also there, though both were out of their depth when it came to official functions. The staff was well-trained and professional, but their training had happened mostly during the Briarwood-times of not really inviting any official guests over.

So while she was nowhere near the state she had been in all those months ago, the night before they went to Syngorn, Vex had been… A bit on edge for a while. And also, Percy had promised to check in on the preparations while she was out showing Velora the Grey Render baby.

And yet, as Syldor was shuffling his papers and beginning to pack up and Percy went over what he remembered about seating arrangements for the evening in his head, the ambassador, for the first time during his visit, actually began a conversation that might have been mistaken for polite small talk.

“So I trust you will be looking for a wife soon?” The elf asked in the polite but cold tone he had used during the negotiations, catching Percy completely by surprise.

Percy almost choked and had to clear his throat before answering.

“Excuse me?”

“With my daughter now settled conveniently outside the royal apartments and yet only a short walk away from the castle, one would assume this is the next step,” Syldor elaborated, without really explaining anything. “Of course, you haven’t exactly been discrete regarding your relationship, but in a political union, such a thing is easily overlooked.”

The mere implication behind his words was enough to get Percy’s blood roaring in his ears. Usually, he was well-equipped to deal with this man, but right now, it did cost most of his restraint to not draw a gun. Or just do away with that and punch him in the face. How dare he talk like this about his own daughter?

“I can assure you that you have grievously misread the situation,” he instead managed to say through his teeth.

“Truly?” Syldor blinked with polite surprise that wasn’t fooling Percy for even a second. “My apologies, then. But surely you must be aware of what these arrangements look like to anyone not, ah, informed about the actual situation.”

“That she has earned a title in this city, and that title comes with lands and an estate?” Percy suggested, slowly regaining his composure. This man would not rattle him. And also not get away with implying that Vex was, essentially, his whore.

“And of course, the way she came about that title is entirely unrelated to your… Relationship,” Syldor said pointedly. “I see.”

“Lady Vex’ahlia is talented and capable, a hero of all of Tal’Dorei in general and this city in particular, and the current Grandmistress of the Grey Hunt, chosen by the gods themselves,” Percy reminded him, as he had liked to do during the entirety of his visit. “Only a fool could doubt that she has earner her place here.”

“Well,” Syldor said graciously. “By those parameters, every single member of your band of adventurers would have earner a title in this city, and yet, for some reason, she is the only one who received one, and also the only one staying here permanently.” He was now done putting his papers away and stood up. “And while there is certainly no need to convince me of her many qualities, I doubt the same can be said about society at large. And especially with the strides this city is making, don’t be surprised once the offers of marriage start coming in from other noble houses from all over Tal’Dorei.” He bowed in a way Percy could only describe as mocking, even though it was outwardly above any kind of reproach. “You are a celebrated hero, after all. With your leave, Lord de Rolo?”

 

* * *

 

It took Percy every single ounce of willpower not to bang the door to the library shut behind him. Not only would such a thing be horribly undignified, this house was brand-new, had only recently been completed, and was supposed to last for generations to come, dammit.

He was a little out of breath from power-walking from the meeting room at the castle all the way to the mansion and its library, still in the process of being stocked, but one of the largest rooms, and one where he could usually be alone with his anger. Not today, though; lying on one of the sofas that had been put in here was Vax, snoring loudly, an old and dusty tome of a book resting on his face. Or at least he had been before Percy had come in and closed the door not quite as quietly as he would have liked.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized as Vax jumped up from his sleeping position while drawing a dagger. Reflexes. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“Well, my sister has alone time with Velora, and Kiki has alone time with the Suntree,” Vax explained while putting the dagger away. “So I decided to spend some quality time doing homework.” He pointed at the giant book now lying on the floor; one of the purchases they had made when hunting down information on Orcus and the undead in general. “What’s gotten your smallclothes in such a twist, Freddie?”

“Your father,” Percy managed to reply, still grinding his teeth.

“Well, that’ll do it,” Vax said, unfazed. “What did he do?”

“He… He implied that I was keeping your sister around as…. As my mistress!” Percy summarized the very unpleasant conversation of five minutes ago, wringing his hands and pacing up and down the room.

“Uh…” Vax took a second to process this. “In a whips and chains sort of way?”

“No!” Percy sputtered, but less scandalized than he probably should have been. “In the woman on the side while I look for a more respectable wife kind of way!”

“Huh.” Vax was for some reason way less upset about this than Percy would have expected him to be. “What gave him that idea? I mean, you are so absolutely smitten with her, it’s hard to imagine your intentions are anything but honorable… Within certain perimeters.” He winced. “I don’t need a definitive answer on the whips and chains thing, okay?”

“Well, apparently, this set-up – “ Percy gestured around the library, meaning to signify the estate at large. “- advertises to the world that I’m just setting her up as a particularly fancy pastime activity, so that she’s out of the way for when I get myself a proper wife.”

“So basically that the whole titling business was only so that you could fuck her without slumming it?” Vax summarized rather aptly. “Well. That makes sense, coming from him.”

Under normal circumstances, Percy would have attempted to address the bitterness in Vax’s voice at least a little, but he was angry right now, dammit.

“So, uh, Freddie,” Vax asked after watching him pace for a while more. “I don’t know shit about shit when it comes to posh people business, but, uh… Does this set-up imply just that?”

“I’m sorry?” Percy almost choked again.

“Well, I mean…” Vax winced again. “I will forever hate you for making me say this, but… Does dad maybe have a point?”

“No!” Percy basically yelled.

“Look, I don’t believe that’s what you’re doing, that’s not it!” Vax elaborated. “But is it true that other rich fucks might see it that way?”

That gave Percy pause. As outraged as he was at the implication that he was supposed to be the kind of person to keep someone like Vex around as nothing but a mistress, well… In the circles he hoped to rejoin in time to bring Whitestone to prosperity, such… Arrangements were definitely not uncommon.

“And also…” Now Vax sounded a bit uncomfortable again. “Testy subject, not really business even though it still kind of is… From how I understand this stuff works, _don’t_ you have intentions of making an honest woman out of my sister at some point?”

Percy snorted.

“Suggest that to her at some point, in those exact words. I dare you.”

“No, I’m pretty sure that’s your job,” Vax retorted.

Percy groaned and sat down on the sofa next to him.

“Marriage is an antiquated institution about nothing but ownership of property, alliances, and legitimacy regarding claims to the ownership of even more property. None of these things are relevant in this case,” he explained. “And for some reason, I can’t really picture your sister being into that anyway.”

“Good point,” Vax admitted, albeit in a somewhat mocking tone. “I, too, thought Vex’ahlia would never concern herself with proper appearances or what some rich fucks think of her. And yet here we are.”

“Ugh.” Vax did have one hell of a point there, Percy had to admit. “What is this? Are you trying to talk me into proposing to your sister?”

“Hey, I don’t care about what sort of antiquated rituals the two of your get up to as long as she is happy. Whips and chains included,” Vax argued, wincing again. “But I get the feeling that’s what dad was trying to do. Which means that he has shown more concern about her wellbeing in one meeting with you than he ever did during the entirety of our lifetime, and I’m kind of touched by that.” He paused. “And if _I’m_ touched by that, just think about how happy she’d be.”

“Yes, I can just see it before me, the complete and utter elation on her face when I propose to her because her father told me to,” Percy deadpanned.

“Point,” Vax admitted. “I mean, I’m just saying, all of this is up to you and none of my business. But maybe dismissing what dad had to say just because he’s an asshole isn’t the wisest course of action? And also, I wouldn’t be so sure that marriage is not for my sister. She might surprise you.”

“This is getting really weird,” Percy muttered. “You are the last person I expected to have this conversation with.”

“No, from what I can tell, as far as you are concerned, the last person you expected to have this conversation with is my sister,” Vax said. “And, I mean, maybe that’s already kind of telling. I mean, I know the two of you are not into the whole talking about feelings thing, but, at some point.” He gestured around the room. “Isn’t that just what people do?”

“Well, right back at you,” Percy snorted. “Any plans you would like to talk about?”

“Hey, I live in a nature commune,” Vax reminded him. “And I’ve maybe spent a few months there in total, and never more than a few weeks at a time. I have no idea what these people do, or whether it is appropriate to propose anything to the Voice of the Tempest.” He paused. “Also, you’re deflecting.”

“Yes, because this conversation is ridiculous,” Percy said, massaging a spot between his brows to ward off a headache.

“I mean, if you think that, maybe that should also tell you something,” Vax said sardonically. “Maybe dad did hit the nail on the head. Do whatever the fuck you want, but maybe at least think about it.”

 

* * *

 

Percy tried not to, actually. He really did. There was a lot to do, anyway – getting settled into the new mansion was only the tip of it. He was also working on so many projects to improve the city, helped his sister with the general governance of it all, and went on several diplomatic calls with Vex, who was such a great help at everything they did.

Governance and diplomacy was what she had been born for. Besides her talents on the battlefield, obviously, but she was just so innately good at dealing with people and navigating the higher ranks of society… That, of course, came as no surprise to Percy at all. He’d always known she’d be amazing at this. That was part of the reason he’d given her a title in the first place. One part because he wanted to help her get back at all the people who had made her feel inferior, one part because he’d known she’d excel at being nobility.

(Also one part in the secret hope that even if nothing would ever come of his infatuation with her, he’d still have her around when their adventuring days were over. Not his main reason, not something he was particularly proud of, but dammit. It had factored into the decision.)

And yet, despite being as busy as he was, Percy frequently found himself wandering the halls of the castle, looking at the portraits of previous de Rolos, idly browsing through what was left of the annals of Whitestone, the accomplishments of its people… And the more he did that, the more something started to bother him.

There were portraits and biographies on every single de Rolo who had done something in the city. But no single family, not even one with a tendency to have many, many branches, was capable of running a city alone, for as many centuries as they had. And yet, even when he looked closer, all he could find were the names of the minor nobility the city had had over the years, notes on when a line died out and another family was awarded the title, and a few old receipts of payments.

When it came to talking about actual individuals who had accomplished so much, the only detailed accounts were all about the de Rolos. There were no picture galleries of the minor noble families that had helped made Whitestone what it was over the years. Even in the biographies, key figures and advisors to the de Rolo rulers were mentioned as an afterthought, unless they had particularly disgraced themselves.

The more he thought about it, the more upset Percy got when thinking about how the history of Whitestone would remember Vex. If he himself was only remembered as a somewhat talented Tinkerer and the guns were the worst thing people remembered about him, he’d be delighted. But Vex... She was so important to rebuilding the city, and she deserved so much better. Something more permanent than just her name on record.

The thought process made him wince. Yes, sure, stamping his name on her to make her matter more was… Really, really backwards. But she deserved a permanent mark. They could commission portraits and statues and name things after her, her mansion and their shared legacy as Vox Machina would long outlive them.

But no matter what else he did, a few decades down the line, the annals would most likely only remember her as a mistress one of the two remaining de Rolo heirs particularly fancied. But apparently not enough to marry.

Society sucked like that.

Vex was far too wonderful for this. Also, he was pretty sure she was far too wonderful to care. And even if they married, would she even take his name? She’d gone without a last name all her life, anyway, so…

…Did that matter, though?

At the end of the day, the only thing he could do was ask, the worst thing she could do was say no. Though that might be awkward… What if she did say no? Wouldn’t that inadvertently change what they had right now?

Because when it came right down to it, their situation right now was exactly that of a married couple. They lived at her house, shared a bed, did most things together. Except for the name and a place in the annals, getting married wouldn’t change anything, would it?

But asking might come off as too pushy and scare her away. And he couldn’t even blame her for that, if it happened – she was far too wonderful for him, anyway. She was the best thing to have happened to him, and this city, but especially him. Wasn’t he already tying her down too much, anyway?

The longer he pondered the question, the more he was plagued by imagining just how badly this could go. And yet he still wandered the family archives. On a very quiet day, one during which she was on the excursion to the Feywild with her brother, Keyleth, and Tary, a meeting he had promised Cass to participate in ended early, and before he realized what he was doing, he was perusing the treasury. The section with whatever jewelry was left from what his mother had possessed or inherited.

This wasn’t exactly the first time he went here to look for something nice for Vex. She did love shiny things. But his attention was inadvertently caught by the collection of rings. Well, collection was a strong word. There were a few simple bands, too simple for his purpose… That he wasn’t even sure he had yet.

He still walked away from the treasury with three options. Just, you know, in case. Never hurt to be prepared.

 

* * *

 

Having three rings burn a hole into his belt pouches didn’t make his conundrum any easier, Percy found. A few more weeks passed, some of the quietest and best days in his life, and Vex of course continued to be far too wonderful for him in every way.

If anyone should ever ask, he’d never be able to explain why he chose the moment he did. It wasn’t a special date, and nothing too out of the ordinary had happened. They were lying in the enormous and ostentatious bed in her mansion, it had to be some time past midnight, and her warm body was wrapped around him, entangled in such a way he wasn’t quite sure which legs belonged to whom anymore. Her head was resting on his chest, and he could tell from the way her breathing had slowed down that she was close to falling asleep.

And it just hit him. This? This was perfect. And how he wanted to spend every single day of his remaining life. And suddenly, all his reservations just seemed silly. Well. To an extent.

“Vex?” He asked softly, just when he remembered why he was so torn about doing this in the first place.

“Hm?” She muttered, her voice heavy with sleep. Yet she lifted her head to look at him as she felt his heart rate speed up. “Are… Are you alright, darling?”

“Yes, quite,” he answered, maybe a little too quickly. But now the adrenaline rush was in full swing, and he felt the energy coursing through him, almost like he was about to stab a green dragon in the back. Which might have been an apt comparison, actually, but as soon as he had that thought, it also hit him that the green dragon he was thinking about had killed both of them. And that settled it.

No time like the present.

“It’s just…” He took a deep breath to steady himself, the thoughts now tumbling through his head, but the words came out before he could actually consider them properly.

“Would you be hypothetically amenable to the general concept of marriage?”

That gave both of them enough of a pause for him to regret all of his life choices, and for her to sit up and look at him skeptically.

“Percival…” She then said slowly and carefully. “Did… Did you just propose to me?”

“No!” He was quick to answer again, his voice a little higher than usual. “I mean… Not really?” He groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. “I was just… Trying to find out whether, you know… That was an option? To propose to you eventually? Unless, of course, you think that matrimony is a silly and outdated concept that we just shouldn’t bother with… And why would we, I mean, really…”

“Okay, slow down there for a second,” she interrupted his ramblings. “So you proposed to propose to me?”

“Ugh.” He winced. “Forget I said anything.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” she refused, tugging at his arm to make him face her again. When he did, she looked amused more than anything else. And not ready to bolt. Or kick him out, considering this was her house. “Where is this coming from? Are you pregnant?”

“Yes, obviously,” he snorted, and then sat up as well. “No, it’s just… I mean…” He sighed. “We never actually talked about this? And wouldn’t it be just the worst if I planned out some grand romantic gesture or something, only to find out you are way too cool for any of this right in front of everyone?” He weakly tried to justify himself. “Which, I mean, you are, of course.”

“Of course,” she agreed. “But really, grand romantic gestures? Like what? Didn’t think you were the type.”

“This was a hypothetical scenario, and now you’re just being difficult!” He said indignantly.

“Well, maybe you should have proposed to propose to propose to me first, then,” she snorted, but not quite as sardonically as he deserved at this point.

“I’ll be sure to do that next time,” he said defeatedly. “Sorry for making a mess of things.” He massaged that spot between his brows again, feeling another migraine approach rapidly. But, well, at least she wasn’t out the door yet.

“Oh, darling, no!” She tried to console him and reached for his hands. “That was really sweet, actually.” She paused. “So… do you _want_ to marry me?”

“Well, yes!” He answered without really thinking about it. “I know you are far too wonderful for me, and deserve so much better, but you especially deserve to be remembered by this city as more than… Well, whatever. And I understand that technically, it’s not like marriage would change anything at this point, and I hope things would just stay as they are, because this, this is perfect, and…” He stopped his rambling as she squeezed his hands, and only then did he realize the gigantic smirk on her face.

“Well, then there you go,” she said pointedly. He blinked.

“Wait,” he said, dumbfounded. “Wait a minute… Did you… _Did you just_ …?”

“I expect a ring in the morning,” she said giddily instead of answering, flipped her hair back, kissed him on the cheek while he was still trying to process what just happened, and then gently tried to push them both down back onto the mattress.

“I mean, you could have it now…” He muttered, still a little out of sorts. That gave her pause again and she cocked her head.

“You… Came prepared?” She deduced. “For a hypothetical proposal? That didn’t even _really_ happen?”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Percy said slowly. “But that makes it sound like I planned this. This was the opposite of planned. And you inadvertently ruined any chance I ever had of planning anything.”

“Well, darling, that’s just what I do,” she reminded him smugly. Then Vex leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek, down his jaw, closer and closer to his mouth. “And I wouldn’t have to do that if you just stopped dragging your feet every time.” He heard and felt her smile more than he saw it as she gave him a quick peck on the mouth.

“That’s fair,” he admitted, his voice cracking a little just from having her this close. In what was practically a reflex at this point, he raised one hand to cup her face and kiss her back. She happily melted into the kiss, and he could tell they got very close to, ah, derailing the conversation at hand (as they had done many times. It was amazing just how many conversations could end with them sprawled naked on various surfaces all around the house. One of the major reasons they hardly spent any time at the castle anymore, actually. Servants everywhere made that awkward.), so he collected all the willpower he could muster and pulled away.

“So…” He said, trying to get his breath back. “We’re actually doing this?”

“I mean, you said you were done for the night…” Vex answered sheepishly. “But I’m not complaining!”

Now he, too, had to laugh, dropping down his head to rest on her shoulder.

“You are impossible.”

“And yet, you still want to marry me!” She pointed out.

“Gods help me, I do,” he admitted, shaking his head, but still laughing. “I didn’t expect you to be so into this, though.”

“I mean…” She drawled the words out like she usually did when she was getting a bit more embarrassed than she liked to admit. It was adorable. “I wasn’t, like, expecting this any time soon. Or at all really. You said it yourself, putting a ring on it kind of doesn’t change anything at this point.” She laughed nervously. “Wow, okay, now you’re making it sound kind of scary. How many of your last names would I have to take?”

“None, if you don’t want to,” he was quick to assure her. She shrugged.

“Every single one of your names kind of beats having to use my dad’s for formal things,” she explained. “Can I pick and choose?”

“Technically, all you need is the de Rolo part,” Percy explained, still kind of dazed by the fact that they were actually having this conversation. “It’s what people are going to call you anyway, so… Oh!” He moved away from her with a jolt, scrambling to get out of the giant bed. “Speaking of picking and choosing…” He stumbled over to where his utility belt was still in his pants, all the way across the room.

“What are you doing?” She asked curiously. “Besides putting on a show, that is.”

Not too long ago, he’d have been embarrassed by the extremely undignified circumstance of rummaging through his belt pockets completely naked and in full view of, well, anyone really. But living with Vex had made him lose most of his shame when it came to nudity. Sure, he wasn’t showing up to breakfast in his birthday suit yet as Vex did occasionally (Tary’s face had been priceless every time), but, well. At this point, he was just completely comfortable around Vex, even though he had a voice nagging in the back of his head that moments like these maybe deserved a bit more dignity, pomp and circumstance, gravitas… One of these things.

Though to be fair, the complete lack of concern with what was proper was part of the reason he loved Vex so much in the first place.

“I’m getting the ring,” he explained instead of worrying about any of that anymore. “Well, rings. I couldn’t decide, so that’s something you get to pick out yourself.”

“Huh.” She had to ponder that for a moment. “Well, I suppose that’s better than me having to pretend like I totally love something horrible you picked out. Okay, I can work with that.”

“Your faith in my taste is heartwarming,” he snorted as he returned to the warmth of the bed with three little boxes. Vex excitedly sat up a little straighter, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of shiny things.

He opened the first box, revealing by far the most elaborate of his choices. A large gem, close to lavender in color, framed by smaller, light blue gems and small diamonds, set in white-gold.

“I’ve never seen anyone wear this one,” he started the presentation, “But it is on a few of the portraits, and probably the most traditional Whitestone design you’re going to find. Been in the family for at least a century or too.”

“It’s fancy!” Vex remarked, eyeing the ring closely without actually taking it out of the box. “And big. I could probably use that as a weapon, too. I like it!”

“That’s one way of looking at it…” He laughed nervously, then opened the second box. In it was a simpler ring; gold that was made to resemble a braid surrounding a single blue sapphire. “This one is still very much in Whitestone colors,” Percy explained. “And I think it belonged to my mother. Not her wedding ring or engagement ring, those are still missing with most of her jewelry, but… She wore it occasionally. So this is the very, very traditional choice.”

“It’s beautiful,” Vex said, voice now a little more somber.

“I’m glad you think so,” he said before revealing the last ring. It was technically the simplest in design; a very narrow silver band with small green stones set into the top. Percy watched her eyes widen as she took it in, before she actually reached out to run her fingers over the stones.

“That’s… That’s residuum, isn’t it?” She asked, her voice now dangerously tight.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “It… Seemed fitting somehow.”

“Somewhat morbid, but yes,” she agreed. “A reminder not to waste too much time.” She cleared her throat. “Well, and it’s pretty, too, so…” She smiled at him as she held her left hand forward. “On that note…”

Despite the shift in the mood, he could not keep the smile from his face as he slid the ring over her finger. They both paused to admire it there, before she entangled her fingers with his. He carefully put aside the two unused rings and the boxes, then he pulled her into an embrace, just holding her, now officially his fiancée.

“You will have to explain all the name stuff to me, though,” she muttered half-heartedly against his shoulder.

“In the morning, dear,” he assured her, lowering them both down onto the mattress again and pulling the sheets up. Vex shifted around a bit so that they were back in their original position, with her head resting somewhere between his chest and shoulder, his arm around her, and their legs intertwined, just like their fingers still were. The ring and its residuum stones pressed into Percy’s finger, slowly warming up to the touch. Yes, he could get used to this.

He had almost drifted off to sleep, the adrenaline rush finally wearing up, when Vex suddenly tensed.

“Oh, fucking dammit!” She exclaimed, squeezing his hand tighter and hitting her head against his torso.

“Getting second thoughts already?” He mumbled sleepily.

“No, but…” She groaned. “I may or may not have told my brother explicitly to not do, well, this!” She waved around their intertwined hands to get the point across. “He’s going to be so pissed…”

“I honestly don’t think so,” Percy assured her. “Technically, he’s the one who made me think about proposing in the first place. Well, seriously consider it, at least.”

“Shut up, really?” She laughed in disbelief.

“Long story,” Percy groaned, pressing her tighter against him. “Another time.”

“Okay.” She was quiet for a little while, then she squeezed his hand again. “Uhm, I know this is going to sound so totally lame…” Vex inhaled, shaking a little as she did so. “But, uh, can we maybe… Wait a bit to tell everyone else?”

“If that’s what you want,” Percy said, but not without a small pang of doubt.

“Please don’t get this wrong!” She was quick to follow up. “It’s not that I’m not completely over the moon about this, but…” She sighed. “I know it’s dumb, but I’d rather, you know, tell everyone all at once…” An audible swallow. “When we’re _all_ together again.”

“Ah.” He understood. “Alright, but… What are we going to do if he doesn’t come back?”

“Let’s give it a year,” Vex said resolutely. “If he’s not back in a year, fuck it.”

“Very well then,” Percy consented. He wasn’t exactly on the same boat with her in this regard, but he understood that Scanlan meant a lot more to her than to him. Nevertheless, he pointedly squeezed her left hand with the ring on it again. “But I’d rather get the legal matters settled as soon as possible. You know. Just in case.”

“We can’t get married without the others!” Vex protested.

“No, and that’s not what I meant,” Percy assured her. “I just want to get the betrothal documented, so there’s no, ah, doubt, just… In case something happens.” He squeezed her hand again.

“Well, wow, did that get serious,” she scoffed half-heartedly. “Booh. But, yeah, of course, go right ahead.”

He chuckled at her reaction and pressed a kiss against her temple.

“For what it’s worth…” He said quietly. “I’m still the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

“Me too, darling,” she responded, snuggling up against him a little tighter. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a tiny 3k oneshot. I really, really can't do short, can I? 
> 
> Anyway, if you're curious, I was of course a gigantic nerd and recreated the rings on https://www.gemvara.com. The result looks like this: http://imgur.com/7N4tjQ1


End file.
